Books

A running list of books that shaped how I think, build, and work.

EngineeringAlex Xu

System Design Interview Vol. 1

A practical walkthrough of how to approach system design interviews, covering scalability patterns through real-world examples.

EngineeringAlex Xu

System Design Interview Vol. 2

A follow-up collection of advanced system design problems, going deeper into distributed systems and trade-off analysis.

EngineeringMartin Kleppmann

Designing Data-Intensive Applications

The definitive guide to the principles behind reliable, scalable, and maintainable data systems.

EngineeringRemzi & Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau

Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces

A clear, freely available breakdown of virtualization, concurrency, and persistence at the heart of every OS.

EngineeringAlex Petrov

Database Internals

A deep dive into how modern databases store, index, and distribute data under the hood.

EngineeringRobert C. Martin

Clean Code

A guide to writing readable, maintainable software through discipline, naming, and thoughtful structure.

PhilosophyJames Allen

As a Man Thinketh

A short, timeless essay on how thought shapes character, circumstance, and the direction of a life.

PhilosophyA.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Ignited Minds

A call to unlock India's potential through vision, self-belief, and the courage to dream big.

FictionGeorge Orwell

Animal Farm

A biting allegory of revolution and power, where a farm's animals overthrow their owner only to repeat his mistakes.

FictionFyodor Dostoevsky

White Nights

A lonely dreamer's four-night encounter with a young woman, told with quiet longing and melancholy beauty.

FictionFyodor Dostoevsky

Notes from Underground

A bitter, isolated narrator's confession lays bare the contradictions of free will, spite, and self-awareness.

FictionFranz Kafka

The Metamorphosis

A man wakes to find himself transformed into an insect, and watches his place in his own family quietly dissolve.

Self-helpJoseph Nguyen

Don't Believe Everything You Think

An argument that most suffering comes not from circumstance but from the thoughts we automatically believe.

Self-helpCal Newport

Deep Work

A case for cultivating focused, distraction-free work as a rare and increasingly valuable skill.

Self-helpRay Dalio

Principles

A framework for decision-making and life built from the personal and professional principles of a hedge fund founder.

Self-helpJames Clear

Atomic Habits

A practical system for building good habits and breaking bad ones through small, compounding changes.

Self-helpNapoleon Hill

Think and Grow Rich

A classic exploration of the mindset and principles Hill found common among history's most successful people.

Self-helpJeff Keller

Attitude is Everything

A short guide to how mindset shapes outcomes, and how shifting attitude can reshape a life's trajectory.

Self-helpBrian Tracy

Eat That Frog!

A concise approach to beating procrastination by tackling the hardest, highest-impact task first each day.

SciencePeter Hollins

Neuro-Discipline

A practical look at how understanding the brain's wiring can help build focus, willpower, and lasting discipline.

PhilosophyLillian Eichler Watson

Light from Many Lamps

An anthology of wisdom drawn from history's great thinkers, gathered around themes of courage, purpose, and inner strength.

Hard work is worthless for those that don't believe in themselves.

Naruto Uzumaki·Naruto